How to Hook Up Your Home Theater

How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007)

*** (out of 4)

Goofy made his return to the big screen with this 7-minute short that really captures the spirit of the older cartoons. Goofy grows tired of watching football on his old, B&W television so he goes to a local store to upgrade everything and soon finds himself buried behind dozens of boxes trying to hook it all up. Back in the day Goofy made all sorts of "How to..." films but this here is certainly one of the best. I think those who have actually tried hooking up any type of home theater are the ones who are going to get the greatest kick out of this because it perfectly captures how frustrating it can be trying to put the thing together. The jokes with all the wires needing to be plugged in and the size of the various televisions were very funny. Another highlight comes when Goofy is waiting for the delivery men who of course don't show up on time. I'm sure kids will get a few laughs out of the physical comedy but this is clearly aimed at adults and I'm sure they're the ones who will enjoy this the most.

Since viewing the Disney animated short "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" at a screening of National Treasure 2, I have wanted to say THANKS to the Disney people who made this possible. Talk about a faithful return to their roots! Disney did a marvelous job of capturing the magic, the humor, the timing, and the same light-hearted feeling that the old shorts had. And yet it was up-to-date with the subject matter. I was taken back to my youthful memories of the classic Disney cartoons. Goofy is my favorite character, but we could use new exploits of Donald, Mickey and Pluto, even Uncle Scrooge. So my last comment is: Please make more!

things that has come out of the Disney animations studios in a LONG time, I'm sick of all the 3D stuff give me some good old looking animation (even if it was produced with 50% less paper), this is what Disney was built on, and what they do best. This is modern old school stuff, a great update of a classic. Awesome cartoon!!!!! I was pleasantly surprise when I sat down to see National Treasure 2, and there was a cartoon, I really expected one of the classics, I really thought they just cleaned up something from the vault until it started, then WOW! I think that Disney would be well suited to get back to their roots with this type of animation, and the story was one of the best of the old "How to..." with a great modern twist, I'd go back to see the movies, just to watch the cartoon again!

...When THIS Goofy masterpiece showed up on his big screen TV. What grabbed my attention, surprisingly, was NOT the great (better than just about ANYONE makes today, in 2019, when this review was written). No, what caught my brain was something through my EAR! It was the sound of a voice. A voice of MANY voices I knew. It was the Narrator on this latter-day Goofy "How-To" cartoon! It was the amazing Corey Burton, who by far outclasses ANY Voice Actor I can think of, if for no other reason than Corey's the man who gets called when Hollywood needs an "old-time" movie, radio or TV voice. Among other things. I don't know how he does it, I never have. But I was introduced to him some years ago (and he was just a "regular guy"). I was astounded! But you're wasting your time if ya listen for him. Just know he's there.

What a treat to go to "National Treasure 2" (itself an escapist ecstasy) and find this brand-spanking-new Disney short preceding it. A beautifully done addition to the countless "How to" Disney cartoons in which The Goof starred in his heyday, it shows that a quarter-century after their creation, the Disney cartoon characters still have lifeblood (and adrenaline) in them.

An absolute hoot, the cartoon depicts Goofy jonesing for a full-screen TV to watch football games, and thus entering a Best Buy-like, all-encompassing electronics store. From there, the laughs only come more quickly.

I hope this inspires The Disney Co. to reprise a regular series of cartoon shorts, as the Warner Bros. group briefly did in the 1990's with a too-short but delightful series of Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons. If you make 'em, we'll still watch 'em!!